Dive Brief:
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Ferrero is launching Tic Tac Chewy, a fruit candy with a crunchy exterior and chewy inside. It’s the first product for the confectionary giant outside of the chocolate or mints section. The product debuts this week at the annual Sweets & Snacks convention in Indianapolis.
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Tic Tac Chewy will be available in five flavors — Cherry, Apple, Orange, Lemon and Grape — in Fruity and Sour varieties. The product will be available in September at retailers including Walmart, Amazon and Kroger before expanding to other banners in early 2025.
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Best known for Tic Tac, Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero has been aggressively expanding its U.S. presence during the past seven years through a series of deals that has pushed it deeper into candy and new categories, such as ice cream and cookies. Tic Tac Chewy is the first product from a Ferrero legacy brand made exclusively for the U.S. market.
Dive Insight:
For years, Ferrero’s presence in the U.S. was largely relegated to three products: Tic Tac, Nutella and Ferrero Rocher.
But in 2017, the Italian candy maker purchased Ferrara Candy — the maker of Brach’s, RedHots and Trolli. A year later, it spent $2.8 billion to acquire the U.S. candy operations of Nestlé, making it the third-largest confectionery company in the country with brands like Crunch, Baby Ruth and Butterfinger.
In 2019, Ferrero purchased Keebler, Famous Amos and other cookies and snacks from Kellogg. And four years later, it added to the fold Wells Enterprises, giving it ownership of Blue Bunny and Halo Top.
The rapid pace of deal-making was simultaneously complemented by an equally active period of expanding its manufacturing footprint.
Ferrero recently opened a new chocolate processing facility at the company’s manufacturing center in Illinois, the first time the Italy-based firm has produced chocolate outside of Europe. A Kinder Bueno production line also is expected to open in the manufacturing center later this year. And in 2023, it opened its Innovation Center and R&D Labs in Chicago to develop new cookies and other treats.
With the acquisitions and major expansion projects behind it, at least for now, Ferrero can devote more attention to innovation. For its part, Tic Tac is currently the No. 1 mint in both sales and household penetration with nearly 15 million consumers, according to Ferrero.
“Ferrero has supercharged investment in our North American presence in recent years, with expanded manufacturing and R&D capabilities, additional world-class talent, and more and more product innovation,” Jim Klein, chief customer officer of Ferrero USA, said in a statement. “With innovations like Tic Tac Chewy, we are well positioned to continue driving growth in the category and delivering value for our retail partners.”
Tic Tac’s widespread recognition gives Ferrero an instant platform it can use to bring the brand into new usage occasions. It also builds upon a recent trend of major confection companies taking a hard candy, like Mars Wrigley with Life Savers or Hershey with Jolly Rancher, and bringing them into gummies or another softer candy.
At the same time, Ferrero is moving Tic Tac away from its roots solely as a mint with five new flavors that address growing interest in fruity options. The treats come in both fruity and sour, the latter a flavor profile particularly enjoyed by younger consumers. Tic Tac Chewy should allow Ferrero to make inroads with these individuals who will increasingly command a greater portion of sales in the future.
Along with Tic Tac Chew, Ferrero also debuted several innovations at Sweets & Snacks. They include Ferrero Rocher Dark Chocolate & Crunchy Salted Caramel Tablets — which contain smooth chocolate, crunchy hazelnut pieces and creamy filling — and Keebler Despicable Me Rocky Road Fudge Stripes Cookies.